


Days for Sleeping Faces

by shweshishweh



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, Mostly Canon Compliant, Slow Burn, also this is my first fanfic pls dont cringe too hard, light fluff, this will be very light on romance but its there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28765515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shweshishweh/pseuds/shweshishweh
Summary: Not even a month has passed since Riku and Mickey departed on the road to dawn, and Riku has arrived alone at the gates of the old mansion.Ashamed and frightened of the growing chaos of his inner darkness, he pleads with DiZ for help, shelter, and a place to hide.  Thus begin the days of DiZ, Riku, and Namine.-----This is my take on a scenario happening during the year Sora was asleep.
Relationships: Naminé/Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12





	1. Settling In

Two figures stood in the pouring rain, a rusted gate dividing them. On one side, backed by an ivy covered mansion, was a man cloaked in red and black. Belts were wrapped around his head, emphasizing his anonymity, and his stature was strong and towering compared to the form opposite him. 

The man had thought he had seen a familiar outline through the cameras, huddled at the gate. Now that he had come out for himself, there was no mistaking it.

Not even a month had passed since he had last seen his face. The form’s silver hair was a rebellious shoulder length, made further irritating by its currently matted state. Covering his shoulders was a familiar but tattered black coat. It appeared as if it had taken several days of searching alone to find his destination. 

Still, the man offered no shelter. With a cruel satisfaction, he stood watching the droplets violently pelt the form’s already completely soaked body. The boy was clutching his chest, but not just from the cold. A dark aura seeped from his heart, surrounding him like a faint vapor. But the man was not alarmed. 

On the day the two had departed at the crossroads, this boy had declared his defiant path so easily, and the man thought that was annoyingly bold of him. But now, it seemed the words had finally caught up to him. Yes, his pride had been rightfully trampled by the ease of those words. 

“So, you’ve already given up?” the man bellowed.

No. The form shook his head.

“Have you abandoned your friend?”

“No!” The word came out hoarse and desperate. It was truly a false accusation, and the boy wanted to escape it at all costs, even as an undeniable look of shame still showed on his face as if there were a cowardly truth hidden within it.

Trembling, unstable, fearful, weak. Even if it weren’t a dark and rainy night, this was why. It was this state that he couldn’t bear to show that friend any longer.

“Please let me in,” the boy pleaded quietly. His normally confident voice now held no pride. 

He couldn’t think of what more to say. This man was his only hope left. But what hope could he see in this man before him; this man who could only see in black and white? Or could it be the hope that lied within this man’s control?

The storm continued, with minutes passing between the two unmoving beings. Then, as if a spell had been broken, a cruel laugh rose from the man’s throat and rang throughout the courtyard. The boy’s request had been granted.

* * *

Riku took thoughtful steps around the pod’s perimeter, keeping his gaze avoidant of its contents until he reached the front and looked up. The capsule gave the appearance of a flower bud, looming several feet above him and filling the room with an ominous aura. Through its muddled petals, he could make out his best friend’s sleeping visage. The playful boy he had known for all of his conscious life now took upon an eerily quiet and vulnerable disposition.

Letting out a pent up sigh, Riku brought his head down to the pod’s edge. As he closed his eyes, he surrendered to the turning gears in his head, stirring the feelings of guilt and regret and others less decipherable. It wasn’t long before the cold of the pod made his forehead numb.

“Riku?” called a soft voice, tinged with concern.

The boy turned to the source of the voice. Standing at a distance, a girl was facing him. Blonde side-swept hair adorned her pondering face, and her hands were neatly clasped in front of a stark white dress.

“Sorry...” Riku trailed off. Rubbing the numb spot, he stepped away from the pod. 

That’s right. Now wasn’t the time to be sulking around, or regretting his decisions. After all, it was Naminé’s first day in Twilight Town. 

The girl shook her head, smiling in understanding. “Don’t be. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Riku answered. Deciding not to elaborate, he gestured from her to the door. “Let’s go.”

The two left the pod room and entered the basement corridor, where more smaller pods now lined the walls. Most of the pods were empty, save for Sora’s comrades, Donald and Goofy. Riku glanced in their direction as he walked, wondering if he could spot one of their eyes twitching. But they were motionless, like lifeless imitations. The only indication that they were alive came from the faint motions of their breathing, but even that was barely noticeable.

Eventually, Riku and Naminé reached the computer room, where DiZ sat at a desk cluttered with screens and various strange-looking devices. Sounds of fast typing and the occasional high pitched beep from the monitors filled the room uninterrupted. At least a full minute passed before the man finally finished typing a line, and turned to address them. “Riku, take Naminé around the mansion and tell her the rules.”

 _Lazy._ ”Got it,” Riku said, disregarding his first thought. “What about her bedroom?” 

“As long as she is within reach, I do not care where she stays,” DiZ answered in a drone. His eyes were once again glued on the center monitor, signaling the end of his willingness to converse.

“...Okay...” Riku replied, feeling slightly unsatisfied. “C’mon then, Naminé.”

He turned to walk out of the room, but paused as Naminé remained in the doorway.

“DiZ,” she spoke up. DiZ’s head turned ever so slightly. “Thank you again… for letting me stay here.”

The girl held herself straight, patiently waiting for a response. Beeps continued to permeate the air, emphasizing every empty second.

No reaction. The sounds of typing resumed. She was ignored.

Naminé turned to Riku and nodded, her soft expression hardly deterred. Then, she walked through the door frame.

As he followed close behind her, Riku’s eyes narrowed at the man’s coldness. Though it was true that DiZ had shown a similar disinterest towards him upon his arrival, this treatment of her still made him uneasy. 

Back when Riku had settled into the mansion, it wasn’t long before the routine became clear - DiZ would sparsely leave for Castle Oblivion to check on Naminé and Sora, then return to his computer. For hours at a time, possibly days, Naminé was all alone. The only human interaction she got was from someone who didn’t even seem to like her. And for some reason, DiZ didn’t see anything wrong with that.

But that didn’t sit right with Riku. Even if he didn’t completely trust this girl... Forget feeling trapped on an island. She was practically isolated, in the very building she had been previously imprisoned. To make matters worse, he couldn’t help but see her as Kairi. Imagining someone so dear to him alone, Riku was in an almost constant state of unrest. He couldn’t let it go any longer, if he could help it. 

But he also knew that wouldn’t be reason enough to let her stay. It was lucky he had happened to notice DiZ’s oversight: though the members stationed there had all been eliminated, there was little doubt that the Organization still had connections to Castle Oblivion. If Sora and Naminé were to remain, it would only be a matter of time before they were discovered. Just as Riku had thought, that was more than enough of a concern for DiZ to make a move. But ever since, DiZ made it clear to him that he was only taking Naminé in as a precaution.

“It’s just us in the mansion, and there are a lot of guest rooms. So if anything catches your eye, just let me know.”

Riku and Naminé stood on the base floor of the mansion, immediately dwarfed by the empty space and sheer distance from floor to ceiling. Two large staircases on either side of the room led to a second floor that curled around the edge of the building. Statues and armor populated the perimeter, and ornate decals and paintings were scattered all over the walls.

Naminé had never seen so many paintings. She had familiarity with them - paintings and walls of color, but those were only from vague memories. Memories that were not her own. 

But things were different now. She no longer had to live off of the experiences of others. She could admire the intricacies, the brushstrokes, the wide variety of subjects and landscapes. All on her own. These were her memories.

Riku allowed her a moment to admire the foyer, before they began their tour. Moving from right to left, bottom to top, the duo opened every door in their path. They quickly developed the instinct of bringing their arms to their faces as they entered each new room, as their lungs were met with plumes of dust with each fresh step inside.

Some rooms were even new to Riku. When he had moved in and found the rooms necessary for his comfort, he hadn’t bothered looking through the rest himself. However, now that he was properly getting to know the mansion, he found it almost fun. Especially with someone by his side, he felt his old adventurous self slightly resurface to lead their little expedition.

Meanwhile, Naminé was even more entertained, surrounded by a wealth of different wallpapers and textures and furniture that were all a stark contrast to the barren, samey rooms she had inhabited all of her life.

Riku told Naminé of DiZ’s restrictions - how they could not leave the mansion without his knowledge, could not disclose the hideout’s existence to anyone, along with other minor ones Riku found annoying. As he rattled off the list with a bite in his words, Naminé listened with acceptance. Compared to her old life, the terms were more than reasonable. But Riku could not have known. 

By the time they reached the last door, the group was newly aware of a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a library, and several other rooms of which they could not figure the use. With runny noses and lungs full of dust, they entered the final room. Once again their arms swung up in preparedness; however, the second they got a glimpse of the interior, it was clear there was no need. 

The room gave off a completely different feel from the rest of the mansion. There were no signs of age; not a speck of dust to be found. However, undoubtedly the most striking characteristic was that from walls, to the display case, to the table, and to the little houseplant at its center… everything was dyed white. No words were said between the two, but Riku and Naminé both thought the same thing: this was a pocket of Castle Oblivion. It was as if some glitch in reality had transported a room from that place neatly into the corner of the old mansion. 

As a wary Naminé took in the scene, Riku strode to the windows and parted the curtains about an arm’s length. Light poured through the gap, tinting the room a faint yellow. 

Almost instantly, the girl’s attention shifted to the window, the fog in her mind fizzling as fast as it had manifested. As if hypnotized, her body gravitated towards the glass, and she brought her arm forward in a smooth motion, stuttering only a centimeter away from its touch. She slid her fingertips lightly down the surface, so lightly, as if she was expecting it to shatter like a sheet of ice. As if she had never seen a window before. She looked out at the courtyard, the treetops, and the sunlight. It was as if she had never seen nature before.

Riku watched her puzzledly. After what seemed like minutes, Naminé spoke. “This one.”

“Oh?” Riku blinked. The sudden remark broke his stupor. After taking a moment to refocus and comprehend her words, he replied. “Ah, yeah. It’s a nice room, but... it wouldn’t really work as a bedroom, don’t you think?”

It was true. The room was overwhelmingly bright, with the long table at its center taking up much of the surface area. It boasted the opposite of comfort.

Naminé brought a hand to her chin inquisitively, as if she hadn’t considered the notion. “Then, I’ll take the room next to it.”

Riku found her enthusiasm endearing, albeit slightly concerning. Was she really planning on living and sleeping in this cold, empty room? But even still, he could see the draw in it. It was clear she had something else in mind for the room, or at the very least she felt a strong connection to it.

“Well... DiZ wouldn’t care if you used this room too,” he said.

“Really?”

“Definitely. The guy practically lives in that computer room, so everything on the top floors are fair game.”

Naminé took another careful scan of the room. Just like that? On top of a comfortable place to stay, such a large space was now hers to make her own. 

But still, it was strange. The room was undoubtedly a striking image of Castle Oblivion. Already, she was returning to those walls of white. Back to the walls that had once held her captive, like prison bars.

Except, she didn’t see prison bars. She saw potential. 

All she had to do was pull back a curtain, and she had the best view in the building, where she could see a world untouched by her stolen memories, waiting for her. She was no longer trapped by those four walls of white. Rather, each one called to her, like the blank pages of her sketchbook.

The duo’s gazes naturally drifted back to the window. Though the sky remained its orangish hue, it was probably around noon.

“So…” Riku started. “You wanna get something to eat now?”

“Hm?” Naminé’s eyes broke away from the landscape.

“After moving all those pods in with us, you must be hungry,” Riku explained. He reached up to scratch the back of his head. “Well… I am, at least.”

He looked back out the window, hoping to hide any awkwardness.

“I’m still getting to know this town too. So if you want, we can look at the shops and restaurants, get a feel for the routes. Explore.” Riku met her eyes. “What do you say?”

Naminé stood mute for a moment. In truth, she was taken aback by the gesture. No, to her it was more than that. It was the casual mention of all of these new experiences that were suddenly within her grasp. This feeling of freedom. This kind face. This outstretched hand. 

Naminé gave a gentle smile.

“Yes,” she said, “I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this rather uneventful exposition chapter didn’t bore you too much orz. Luckily the following chapters shouldn’t be as light on dialogue.  
>   
> I actually didn't plan to write so much initially but my ideas kept snowballing, so it looks like this fic may be way longer than projected. I wanted to make it canon-compliant, but as I began researching and refreshing myself on this part of the story… I realized it wouldn’t fit as nicely as I originally thought. For example, in canon I believe it’s implied Riku and Namine don’t reconnect until well into 358, when they have both grown noticeably and Riku has his blindfold. Meanwhile, I decided to kind of throw that implication away. I still won’t disregard those cutscenes, but perhaps give them new meaning?  
>   
> Well, I don’t want to elaborate too much. To put it bluntly, I did some plot-bending, and there are some details I disregarded (or maybe just forgot) because it flowed or worked better for the story. All the major story beats shown in the games should be the same. Just, don’t get all up in arms if it doesn’t align perfectly to canon regarding timelines, certain dialogues, and secret reports. Thanks, and peace!


	2. Interruption

Naminé stood in the empty foyer. Concentrating. Trying to replicate the moments before - the brush of the curtain on her skin, the sunlight stinging her eyes, a face becoming brighter at a simple reply - when as soon as she felt her lips curl, it all vanished. She had a feeling she mustn’t dwell on it much longer.

She brought her head to the left, to a change of subject. A large pair of doors waited on the far side of the room. In mere moments, they would open, and the landscape she had witnessed at the white room would become tangible.

The budding daydream was interrupted with a click. Riku emerged from the door next to her, coming to her side while stuffing an orange pouch the size of his palm into his pocket. “Alright, let’s head out.”

Naminé and Riku walked up to the entrance, each positioned behind a door. A nod was exchanged, and the duo pushed against the heavy doors, squinting slightly from the effort as well as the natural light seeping from the gap. Then, they stepped out into the expanding landscape.

Naminé’s lips separated against her will. Already, there were too many thoughts to pinpoint.

For one thing, she felt even smaller. Throughout all of her life, she had gone from building to building. Even when she had moved to Twilight Town, the group had traveled between rooms using dark corridors. But now, so suddenly and so easily, she existed in a space where no walls encased her. The infinite nature of it all was almost frightening. 

A light pressure appeared on her skin. She observed the way the tree branches swayed and the leaves scattered in the same direction she was pulled. It wasn’t as simple as how it appeared in her memories, nor in that room, separated by glass. Not at all. The air even dared to rise up to her nostrils, and her breathing came easier. Her chest felt light.

Naminé’s silent admiration continued as she walked forward in unison with Riku.

The ground felt uneven, and the edges of the grass blades tickled the exposed part of her sandals. It was nothing like carpet, certainly unlike any floor she had ever tread on. She kept her eyes locked downward as she walked, watching how the grass bent and swayed, how after it was trampled it sprung back up bent a little out of shape. 

“Naminé.”

The girl raised her head to see Riku before a tangle of wood and greenery.

“Be careful going down this way.”

Naminé blinked in a sudden realization; she had already lost sight of how far she had gone. She took a clumsy scan behind her.

A brick building stood in the distance, warmly colored by the setting sun. So this was the building she had come from? It had the air of regality, like a castle, yet it also felt humble. Not only that, but it had a spark of familiarity...

In the foreground, the path to the doors was bordered with six stone pillars, slightly overgrown and chipped from wear. A tall brick wall encased the courtyard. It was then she finally noticed that she was looking at the scene through an open gate.

Ah. A short exhale escaped her, and an urge to smile surfaced. It was odd how she felt such a way, despite it also feeling so forbidden. 

Riku didn’t bat an eyelash. “It’s a little easy to get lost in these woods. It took me some time to get to know the route well.” 

He gave similar sparse commentary as they went along the path, ensuring Naminé was close behind from the sound of her replies. If there were a downed log in the way, or a steep drop off, he would stop to help her over. The shape of her hand became increasingly familiar to him.

Naminé was aware of her faults, though she hoped Riku didn’t pity her. She considered the trip nothing short of a privilege; in fact she almost didn’t want to leave. Every few seconds she would discover something new, and the landscape was forever changing, never static. It all felt so alive. 

Suddenly, its gentle rhythm was disrupted with a burst of leaves and a flock cutting just above Naminé’s head. Her body retreated backwards, and a yelp escaped as she felt the sudden pressure of a trunk against her back.

Riku stopped in his tracks. He approached her, offering his hand again. “You okay?” 

Naminé took it and pulled herself back up, slightly blushing from embarrassment. In part deflection, part curiosity, she brought her eyes up to follow the flock that was now flying overhead in a ‘V’.

“Seems like the birds here scare easy. They can come out of nowhere,” Riku explained to her, with a good-natured chuckle in his breath, “but you get used to them. They’re nothing compared to the ones back home.”

 _Birds… Yes, birds._ Naminé knew what they were. Of course, Kairi knew what birds were, so naturally her Nobody would as well. That connection, that familiarity, was like an instinct to Naminé. But that was all anything was to her: an instinct and a name. Perhaps now she could afford a bit more. 

“‘Back home’... what are they like?” Naminé probed.

“Let’s see… Well, living near the water, we get a ton of seagulls. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen them-“ Riku turned slightly for an affirmation, to which Naminé gave a firm shake of her head. 

Bringing his hands in front of him, he gestured a space slightly longer than a foot in length. “They’re about this size, white. They make this really loud call, and they like to circle up and fly overhead, sometimes they get so loud you can’t hear the person next to you. They can also get really aggressive during mating season… Oh, and don’t even think about feeding them, or else they’ll never leave you alone. Sora had to do that at least once when we were little, and afterwards he couldn’t go out on the beach for days without getting swarmed and pecked at.”

Naminé could see a small form, arms flailing under a pile of white feathers, a young voice... laughing? Yelling? Perhaps a mix of both. A flying orange sandal. Friends’ looks of concern, broken by stifled giggles. She joined them.

Riku watched as she was enraptured in the memory. It was a strangely contagious laugh - the loudest and most genuine he had heard from her yet. Before he knew it, he was drawn into her mirth, and the pair laughed together in the middle of the wood until they caught their breaths, and they quieted naturally.

“He bounced back, though. He always does,” Riku stated in closing, his gaze moving somewhere further away.

“M-hm,” Naminé warmly agreed, her eyes still fixed on his obscured profile. It didn’t take much to know how much he loved his friend. Missed him. Beneath the laughs, the subject surely brought him pain. 

And yet, she had a wish to hold onto that expression, where his face relaxed and almost broke into a grin as he opened up and rambled about his childhood home. Even if she had the memories, hearing him describe it made it sound like a truly wonderful place - a place where she might have even wanted to go. But that thought only lasted a moment. It could never be; she knew that. 

Before the two could make another full stride forward, a flash of silver crossed their path and vanished behind a nearby tree. The atmosphere tensed within the span of a heartbeat.

“That’s new,” Riku muttered. He inched towards its general direction, keeping his footsteps light and strategically placed. As he neared the trunk, he quieted his breath.

Once more, a stripe shot across his vision, this time mere inches from his nose. Backing away just in time, Riku witnessed the form take shape in front of him, into a shape not quite human. 

The creature came up to a fraction of his height, standing on two teetering legs. A zipper across its mouth came undone to reveal a beak-like mouth, below a strange symbol on its crown vaguely reminiscent of some familiar enemies. 

In the time it took to process its form, identical comrades revealed themselves from the surrounding trees. They swayed in a hypnotic rhythm, creating a grey barricade between the pair and their path. 

“What’s with these things?” Riku held out his hand, his Soul Eater manifesting in his palm with a black flash. Meanwhile, his other arm moved on instinct to keep Naminé back.

“They’re Dusks,” Naminé answered. Riku startled at her unexpected response. “A type of Nobody.”

“Nobody…” he echoed the word. _Where have I heard that before?_

Riku racked his brain for more information. In Castle Oblivion, that man named Vexen had called them creatures that exist between light and dark. But what did that mean, exactly?

His brow furrowed deeper, and his feet kept planted firmly on the ground. As he contemplated, his eyes followed the creatures’ unnatural movements, scouring for any pattern through which he could find an opening. 

A gentle tug on his arm broke the flow of his thoughts.

“Riku, we should head back,” Naminé’s voice wavered. “I’ve seen those things accompany the Organization. If they’re nearby…”

Naminé didn’t finish, but Riku could figure her implication. The group before them continued to sway in unison - foreign, menacing, taunting. But the presence behind him persisted, urging him in good intentions to retreat, its soft touch a reminder of their vulnerability. At the very least, he couldn’t risk putting it in danger.

With a growl of frustration, Riku called back his weapon. Then, in a swift motion, he grabbed Naminé’s arm and ran back the way he came. 

No careful stops were to be had as they ran, stumbling over every obstacle. Riku kept an air of urgency, shooting his head back every few seconds to detect pursuit. But for Naminé, most of all, she felt disappointment.

Despite the appearance that they weren’t followed, they took to the basement door and rushed to the computer room. At the sight of them breathless, with expressions of disheveled concern, DiZ rose from his chair. Riku wasted no time filling him in.

“Could they have found us?” Riku questioned, his voice raised in alarm. “Already?”

DiZ answered, his voice steady. “It is possible. However, the Organization is always moving about. With Twilight Town being in the lanes between, it is not uncommon for members to come and go.”

“Why have our hideout so close to them in the first place?” A mix of irritation and confusion coated the boy’s retort.

“Naturally, because it makes them all the more easy to track. Gathering information on them is vital for Sora’s recovery.”

Riku’s counter caught in his throat. 

Sora? What more did the Organization have to do with Sora? Was it not enough that they brought him back - that they were piecing his memories back together? “What does-”

“In any case, always be on your guard,” DiZ began again, as if Riku had not uttered a word. “True to what Naminé has told you, the Organization is likely nearby. You two will not leave the mansion until morning.” 

With a huff of conclusion, DiZ settled back into his chair. “How troublesome.”

Riku watched as the man returned to his routine, after all of that. As if nothing had changed. The boy felt his frustration reach a boiling point. From what he didn’t know. From what DiZ was hiding from him.

No. He wasn’t going to let this dissipate. 

“DiZ.” Riku took a step closer to the man’s seat, setting his posture firm, as if trying to cast a shadow over him.

“Yes?” DiZ responded cooly, but with the slightest haughty air of being needlessly interrupted.

“What even _is_ a Nobody? What do they have to do with Sora? And don’t give me any poetry.”

A pause. A small, amused expression crossed DiZ's face for a moment, before he changed the screen before him to show the image of a simple human figure. Riku noticed, but begrudgingly turned his attention to the visual aid. For now, sating his curiosity was far more important that sating his anger.

“When one loses their heart to the darkness, two beings are created.” DiZ tapped a key, and the figure on the screen split into two pixelated masses. “The separated heart becomes shrouded in the darkness, becoming the creature you know as a Heartless. But the body does not disappear, as you might have thought. Rather, it is transported to an area between light and dark, reborn as a Nobody.” 

Naminé blended against the doorpost, eyes affixed to the floor. Her fingers quietly pressed against the metal behind her. She couldn’t say anything. All she could do was stand by, listen, and accept the discussion of her nature.

The visual aid on the monitor showed the image of a Shadow and Dusk, side by side.

“The strongest of these make up the Organization.” DiZ carried on, pressing more keys as needed. “And it appears that Sora’s Nobody is in their possession.” 

Sora’s Nobody.

Riku could not disguise his reaction to those last words. 

DiZ placed his hands on his lap and reclined, watching the boy reel as if it were entertainment. “You see now their importance?”

Riku hadn’t noticed his plight backwards until his heel met the edge of a stray cardboard box, and he nearly lost his footing. Once he regained his bearings, he lowered himself down on top of it. 

Sora’s Nobody. 

But wasn’t Sora still in the pod? Even if he did become a Heartless, how could he have a Nobody? And how - _why_ \- did DiZ know all of this? It didn’t make sense. 

Riku set his elbows on his knees, pinching the space between his knitted eyebrows. _Sora has a nobody. And it may be in the Organization._

“Sora is…” Riku‘s voice fell out on its own, but the inquiry quickly died. Where could he start? 

Meanwhile, something else was bothering him. 

“So you’re saying,” he began again, “those weird things we saw, and those people in Castle Oblivion... are the same?”

DiZ nodded deeply. “You’ve noticed that these Nobodies maintain their original body’s form. Their strong wills persist beyond their hearts and grant them sentience.” His gaze intensified. It was no longer patronizing - now resolute. “But make no mistake; even with the appearance of humans, they are still heartless creatures.”

Before she could hear a response, Naminé’s ears were suddenly filled with noise. Then, in an act of pure impulse, her back straightened as she felt for the edge of the metal door frame. As soon as she was sure she would not be noticed, she backed out of the door. 

She walked away. Faster. Moving swiftly and with purpose, she forced her mind on her senses. 

Her back was burning. The grate of bark was still fresh on her skin. Her eyes were burning. They wanted her room, now, now, now.

Why did she feel like she had to go there so badly? Her conscious mind wanted to stop. But her broad steps continued down the hall as steady as a metronome, and before she knew it, she had reached the door to her room.

The curtain was still parted from the time she was there with Riku earlier in the day. Her restlessness flared, pulling her gaze around the area until it settled on the chair at the nearest end of the table. She marched over, grabbed the backrest, and pulled. 

At first, it didn’t budge. She tried lowering her center of gravity and pulled again, this time feeling the ground rumble beneath her as the chair legs moved an inch in her direction. The sound was damaging. She winced. But she was determined. 

The girl continued circling around the chair, testing the angles and methods to move it, until the seat was aligned with the open space in the window curtain. She patted down the skirt of her dress, drying her slightly damp hands in the process. Once she made contact with the seat, a heavy sigh released; of which only a fraction was powered by physical exhaustion. 

Next came the silence. No sound but her diminishing breaths and the faint chirping from the other side of the glass. The fog in her mind cleared.

That’s what it was. 

She just… didn’t want to hear them talk anymore. 

Naminé took in another slow breath as she peered down at the treetops. Not long ago, she had ventured underneath them. But she couldn’t see that scenery anymore. 

She grieved for the outing that never was. For the hope and anticipation she had felt, now stripped away. For thinking, for once, that she was free of the Organization. 

How naive she was. Because of them, what layed beyond those treetops remained an unknown. Because of them, that amicable mood she had shared with another may very well have been her last. Because from now on, she’d have to face Riku as what she truly was: a Nobody. 

How would he see her now? Would he treat her like an animal, or an enemy? Would he distance himself? 

Would he treat her like DiZ did?

All she knew was that the time they had spent together, as two normal people, was up. 

Naminé stared at her hands, cradled loosely in her lap. _At least... it was nice while it lasted._ Scarce as they were, she would surely treasure those memories.

The creak of a door hinge sounded. Naminé spun to the sight of a silhouette in the doorway. 

“Riku…” Her stomach flipped.

The boy glanced her way a moment before scanning the area, as if searching for something. He walked to the far side of the room, following Naminé’s suit and grabbing the backrest of the chair at the table’s end. To her awe, it took no trouble for him to walk with it. So effortless, the chair legs almost repelled the ground.

Riku dropped it beside her kindly. In a smooth and silent motion, he sat and gently pulled the curtain a bit further so he could share the view. Naminé was a bit surprised, and a bit puzzled. He was sitting so close to her, despite all that he had heard. But she said nothing.

Naminé spent the next several minutes looking from the view to her lap, with the occasional fervent glimpse at the space between her and Riku’s knees. She didn’t dare look at his face.

“Are you okay?” She eventually murmured, barely audible, as if trying not to scare him away.

Riku exhaled. “Yeah. It’s just… a lot to take in.”

The volume went back to zero. As more time passed without elaboration, Naminé mustered the courage to glance his way. His vision was fixated straight ahead. He just looked tired. 

Did he know that he was shoulder to shoulder with a Nobody? She figured there should be at least some kind of reaction. He would at least say _something._

Riku felt her looking, and turned to face her. An innocent curiosity framed his features. Naminé turned her head away in haste. She’d been staring too long.

 _DiZ didn’t mention me._

Why? Did he have some kind of purpose? It could be that he didn’t feel the need… or perhaps he meant to toy with her. 

“Y’know, it hasn’t even been half a year since I was living on the Islands, dreaming of the outside world.” Riku spoke softly, thoughtfully, as if each word held a weight. The storm in Naminé’s mind dissipated at his tone. She looked up at him. “I think back then, all this talk of Heartless and Nobodies would have excited me.” His voice became small. “But now, I’m just tired of it all.”

In an instant, Naminé’s worries melted away, replaced with a pulsing, guilting ache. It rushed through her body, circling in her chest, gathering behind her eyes.

She wasn't the only one whose mind was occupied. She of all people should know. 

Her lips pressed together. Riku's face was turned just out of her sight. Even sitting right next to her, he seemed so out of reach. But she could sense the tangle of memories at the surface. Regret, concern, discouragement, uncertainty. They were almost tangible. 

Riku and Naminé said no more, returning their attention forward. The sky was still it's never-changing shade, but the sun’s warmth gradually left their skin, replaced with the cold touch of a day's end.

Riku sighed. “Well… I guess we can go exploring another day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended very similarly to the last one. Oops. 
> 
> I hope I got the origins of Heartless and Nobodies right… if not please tell me, I will correct it. Also I'm pretty sure Namine/Nobodies were never explained to Riku on-screen during COM? I also hope I got that right... otherwise that's gonna screw up a lot of what I've written lol
> 
> In some parts it’s really tempting to incorporate sentences like “her heart skipped a beat” but that wouldn’t really work would it?


End file.
